


You Are What You Eat

by Brumeier



Series: Bite Sized Fic 2020 [98]
Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Buffy The Vampire Slayer Fusion, Cannibalism, Demons, Gen, Prompt Fill, Team Dynamics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:15:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27535123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brumeier/pseuds/Brumeier
Summary: LJ Comment Fic for AO3 Tags prompt:Prodigal Son, any, cannibalismIn which JT comes to the team for help, but he doesn't quite understand how they work.
Series: Bite Sized Fic 2020 [98]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1610332
Comments: 4
Kudos: 11
Collections: Bite Sized Bits of Fic from 2020





	You Are What You Eat

“It’s not unusual,” Mr. Arroyo said. “Historically, many cultures have practiced it. The reasons vary.”

“I watched a thing about the Donner Party on _Puppet History_ ,” Dani said. “It was gross. People shouldn’t eat other people. But the song was pretty cool, if you like creepy snowmen.”

Edrisa nodded enthusiastically. “The Yanomami cremate their dead and eat the ashes. That’s how they mourn. It’s very spiritual.”

“In some species, the female consumes the male after they mate.” Malcolm blushed a little when he offered up that particular tidbit.

JT thought they were all crazy. How could they sit around the school library talking about cannibalism like it was just a normal thing people did?

“What the hell are you talking about? This has nothing to do with the Donner Party!” JT pushed one of the thick, heavy books off the table in frustration, pleased at the loud bang it made when it hit the floor. “That thing has my friend! Shouldn’t you weirdos be out there doing whatever crap you do?” 

“Respect the process, man,” Dani said.

“Your friend isn’t in any danger,” Malcolm said, looking at JT with that earnest expression on his face that made people want to shove him into lockers.

“He’s right! This particular demon self-cannibalizes,” Edrisa said, and she actually sounded excited about it. “I hypothesize that it regenerates, like an echinoderm, so it has a renewable food source. It’s really fascinating! Did you know –”

“Do you ever shut up?” JT snapped.

“That’s enough,” Mr. Arroyo said. His tone was mild, but JT was familiar with the steely undertone. He was using his Dad voice.

Edrisa looked hurt, and JT felt a twinge of conscious. She was an incessant chatterbox, and an insufferable know-it-all in the classes they shared, but she wasn’t a bad person. Maybe she and her weirdo friends were all selfless, wonderful people, but they hadn’t seen the disgusting, terrifying _thing_ that had dragged Robbie off into the dark.

“Dani, go with JT back where Robbie was taken and see if you can track the demon to its lair. Edrisa, how quickly can you put this together?”

Mr. Arroyo handed Edrisa a piece of paper with a lot of writing on it. She read it really fast and nodded.

“Fifteen minutes or less, if Malcolm helps me.”

“What will that do?” JT asked.

“It stops the regeneration process. The demon will essentially eat itself to death.”

That was gruesome, and JT hoped that image didn’t stay buried in his subconscious waiting to return as a nightmare. Still, if it saved Robbie…

Edrisa dragged Malcolm off to the chem lab, and Dani went into the locked cage where the really rare books were kept, returning with a wicked-looking blade. Was that part of the special collection?

“Why did it take Robbie?” JT couldn’t help asking Mr. Arroyo. “If it didn’t want to eat him?”

“Even demons get lonely, kid.”


End file.
